Aurora continues gun buyback events to help cut down on crime in metro area

Aurora City Council held a gun buy back program on Saturday in effort to help cut down on crime. It allowed people to drive up and drop off a firearm.

The event was held at Water Christian Center. It was a community effort council members hope will help curb violence in Aurora, Denver and surrounding areas.

People in cars lined up to surrender their firearms.

"We've heard some powerful stories. A mom came in, turned in the gun her son used to kill himself," Councilman Curtis Gardner told CBS4. "The data shows us that most guns used in crime are stolen from people who don't store them properly, so this is a place for them to come turn in those fire arms.

During a time when gun crimes are on the rise, city leaders say getting more guns off the street means a safer community.

"So we had a series of back-to-back shootings at Hinkley High School and Aurora Central High School earlier this year in Aurora, and afterwards, we held a town hall, and one of the young people at the town hall said we want a place where we can turn in our guns anonymously," Gardner explained. 

Gardner says many youth have these weapons because they feel they need to defend themselves.

"And they don't want them because they're continuing that cycle of violence," Gardner said. 

That violence doesn't stop at city borders, which is why these gun buyback events are joint effort between the cities of Denver and Aurora, collecting over 600 guns at these events so far.

"We're not going to end gun violence with these events, but still, this is really important," Gardner said. "It's a way to signal to the community that we are addressing the problem; we're working to address the problem."

This is the sixth of eight gun buyback events that leaders are hosting. There will be two more — one in September and another in October.